By Zephyria 
I felt like my soul had been completely stripped.
“Hmm, that’s a pity. If I had known that two days would be so short, I should have brought you here earlier.”Favorability: 39%nnNo, it wasn’t just a feeling, my soul was actually completely stripped.” Looking at that favorability rating just before 40 percent, it was so clear. Considering that Carlisle’s favorability, which I had worked hard on for almost a month, was only in the 20 percent range…
Damn it. As if this wasn’t a 19+ game world, the fastest way to capture someone was to just use my body. Somehow, all the efforts I had made were in vain.
Except for eating and sleeping, I was tormented all day for two days. Even the dirty bedding and body were all solved with just a flick of a finger by the genius wizard, so even the excuses to take a breather were all wiped out.
“How are you, Young Master? If you want to stay here longer, I’ll try to find a way somehow.”
“No thanks.”
The Carlisle’s clothes that I was wearing when I first arrived here were neatly cleaned by Lennox with magic. I put my arms into the jacket and answered sharply. I glared at him as a bonus.
Carlisle and the Crown Prince were much higher in status than me, so it was quite frustrating to suppress my temper and act obediently in front of them, but at least I didn’t have to do that in front of Lennox, so I felt comfortable. On the other hand, my body was quite exhausted.
“In any case, thank you for your cooperation this time. I have secured enough samples, so I think I will be able to show you some remarkable results when we meet next time.”
His smiling fox eyes were artificial. Why? He had sucked me dry like this, but he seemed to be in a strangely bad mood. Does he have a conscience?
“…Before I send you off, there’s one thing I’d like to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Why did you… offer to sponsor me? There were many other workers in the Merchant Guild.”
“Ah, that?”
“……”
Lennox’s face, still faintly smiling, was like a stream in early winter covered with thin ice. If you break only the very thin surface of the ice, there will be a fiercely swirling current of water so cold that it chills your bones.
What should I do with this? I quickly racked my brain. If he continued to treat me kindly, it would be easy to quickly capture Lennox’s favorability and make him fall in love with me…
“There was no special reason. I just thought your cleverness that day was quite useful.”
That’s not enough. I wanted to train Lennox to be a well-behaved dog, not raise him as a wolf who was always planning to bite my neck.
Lennox’s abilities, which were only just beginning to develop, were already dangerous enough. Before he became stronger, I needed to thoroughly instill a hierarchy in his mind.
“So I don’t want you to give it any special meaning. Just as Seymour accepted you after seeing your behavior, I also valued your cleverness and explored your potential.”
“……”
“Yes. Is that all you’re curious about?”
I raised the corners of my mouth and lowered my eyes. As long as the absolute years I had lived in this body, I knew exactly how my face would look to others. Now was the time to distance myself. To firmly imprint the hierarchy.
“I’ve played with you moderately for the past two days, so you should be satisfied with that much. It seems like you’ve paid more than enough for saving my life.”
“Young Master.”
The wizard was no longer smiling. The light of desire in his red eyes deepened even more.
“I hope you don’t disappoint me, Lennox.”
“……”
“There’s no need to be so nervous. I’m just saying that you should be worth the investment.”
You want to have me, Lennox. But it won’t be you who has me, it will be me who has you. Be sure to remember that. I muttered to myself and gracefully reached out my hand.
“…Yes. I will.”
Gratefully, Lennox took my hand and kissed the back of it cautiously. And when he closed and opened his eyes once, I was already in my room in the Ducal Palace.
The first thing that caught my eye was a large wooden doll lying on the bed (although I don’t know if you can call it lying down). Lennox squeezed my hand tightly one last time and then cleaned up the wooden doll.
I have just lifted the Illusion Magic that was hanging here. Please rest assured that I will not use this Golem to exploit Young Master in a vulgar way.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“When will we meet again next time… No, it’s nothing. Please be well. I will always be watching.”
“Huh? What do you mean…!”
Before I could finish speaking, there was a knock, knock, knock, and Lennox, holding the wooden doll in his arms, disappeared without a trace.
“Young Master, good morning!”
“…Nicole.”
How long has it been since I last saw him? The actual time we were apart was only about two days, but emotionally it felt like we had been apart for almost twenty days. I was almost sad that I couldn’t express all this joy to Nicole, who didn’t know anything.
“Oh? What’s wrong, you’re already dressed?”
“Why? Did you think I couldn’t dress myself?”
“Yes, I guess so. But what are those clothes, Young Master? I don’t think I’ve ever seen them before… The size is also subtly wrong.”
“Ah, this? It seems like someone who stayed in this room before wore it. I was curious, so I tried it on. Is it strange?”
“It’s not strange, but I think you’ll be uncomfortable because the size doesn’t fit. You should change.”
“Okay. Oh, we have to leave in a couple of hours, right?”
“Yes.”
Nicole said that he had told the butler in advance that he would go to greet the Grand Duke. Once I had greeted the Grand Duke, it would really be time to leave Graham Castle. A month… a lot has happened.
“Okay. Let’s just change clothes and go right away. There’s a place I need to stop by before I leave.”
The diary that I had taken from Lennox’s laboratory and kept in my arms so that I wouldn’t lose it was reassuring.
‘The young Young Master Hamilton you are so worried about has wonderfully entered the stage of growth.’
Two days ago, Lennox had clearly said that to me, who was trembling with anxiety. The young Graham has entered the stage of growth… This… It must be because of me jumping off in front of him, right? It wasn’t just my ego, but objectively, the only one who could lead Graham’s growth, which was fueled by love, was me, currently around Carlisle.
He must have been worried a lot, right? I was so full just thinking about properly revealing my identity and handing over the diary, telling him that everything was okay and that we should definitely meet when I came to the capital next time. Hehehe. I was only thinking about hooking Carlisle, but I even captured Lennox in a situation where I thought it was all over. It was truly a blessing in disguise.
As I put my arms into the refreshing sky-blue jacket that Nicole was helping me put on, I hummed a lighthearted tune.
“Grand Duke.”
“Oh, you’ve come.”
The Grand Duke, whom I was meeting for the first time in a month, was the same as before. That meant he was still handsome.
“I apologize first, Young Master Hamilton. That such an unfortunate incident occurred in my castle while you were visiting.”
“It is not for Your Highness to apologize. If there is any fault, it lies with those who dared to covet Graham.”
“I’m grateful if you think so.”
“I am the one who is grateful for the past month. Thanks to your careful attention, I had a pleasant stay.”
I was about to quickly leave the office after finishing the appropriate greetings. The Grand Duke, who seemed to have little interest in me, suddenly stopped me.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the growth of the Young Master has begun.”
Ah… First of all, I have to pretend that I don’t know what he’s talking about, right? The fact that the high-ranking nobles of the Dartmouth Kingdom are descendants of beastmen is a fact that people in other regions hardly know.
“I heard that Graham’s Young Master is about the same age as me, so I’m glad he’s growing well. I’ll be able to meet him in the capital soon.”
“Hmm… So you’re going to hide your tail like that?”
The Grand Duke’s hand, which had put down the quill and started tapping the desk, was cautious. He spent time aimlessly without throwing his gaze at me or allowing me to retreat.
I waited for the Grand Duke to continue speaking, with my head bowed at an appropriate angle without any change in expression. The direct descendants of Graham were originally strictly forbidden by family law from contacting external nobles who were not related by blood until the ‘growth’ was complete. This was to protect the weak offspring of the immature beast and to prevent Graham’s weaknesses from being easily exposed.
The reason why I, who had come to the Ducal Palace, was approaching Carlisle under the guise of a servant rather than my original noble status, and the reason why I decided to be introduced to Carlisle through Beatrice rather than meeting him directly when he came to the capital, was all because of that.
“Do you know? I don’t dislike young ones like you who know their place and know how to use their tongues smoothly.”
“…Your Highness, that means.”
“But that’s it. I can’t let someone who has something to hide approach my precious successor.”
“……”
“After examining your tail here and there for a few days, you seem to be truly flawless, so I will bestow one favor upon you.”
Please. Be careful of the limbs of the ominous person who has followed you.
The Grand Duke whispered sternly. With a nonchalant look as if he could crush and kill me in this place without any problem.